Department for Transport

Global Travel Taskforce

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the timescales are for implementing the recommendations of the Global Travel Taskforce, published on 24 November 2020.

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the Global Travel Taskforce next plans to convene to discuss the outstanding recommendations from its report, published on 24 November 2020.

Robert Courts: From its inception the Global Travel Taskforce was a time-limited body, and it has now concluded its work. However, the Government is working closely and at pace with industry and our international partners to implement the taskforce recommendations and ensure a safe and sustainable return to international travel as quickly as possible. The taskforce recommendations addressed three priorities: implementing effective public health measures; encouraging safe growth in demand; and driving a co-ordinated response with global partners. As a first step, on 15 December the Government introduced the ‘Test to Release for International Travel’ scheme in England, allowing arrivals to pay for a privately provided Covid-19 test and reduce their required period of self-isolation if the test is negative.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Aircraft: Decommissioning

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans the Government has to encourage the decommissioning of older aircraft.

Paul Scully: The Government remains in dialogue with industry and overseas governments about the potential benefits, practicalities and implications of an aircraft scrappage scheme.

Digital Technology

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to implement recommendation 13b in Annex G of the Digital Market’s Taskforce’s report entitled A new pro-competition regime for digital markets.

Paul Scully: The Government is committed to ensuring digital markets remain competitive and deliver positive outcomes for consumers, small businesses, and society. That is why we have announced funding to establish a new Digital Markets Unit within the Competition and Markets Authority from 2021-22. We set up the Digital Markets Taskforce in March to offer expert advice. We will now consider the recommendations, including 13b and consult on proposals for a new pro-competition regime for digital markets in early 2021.

Intellectual Property: Compensation

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of raising the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court Small Claims Track Cap to £25,000 in line with a Fast-Track claim.

Amanda Solloway: As part of its work on IP enforcement issues the IPO has facilitated a series of working groups over the last year looking at the enforcement framework. The cost and accessibility of court processes for IP disputes was considered as part of this review, and questions on these topics were included in the call for views which closed in November this year. The IPO is currently considering the responses received from that exercise and will carry out further assessment as necessary before any recommendations are taken forwards.

Intellectual Property: Compensation

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing an online system to submit claims to the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court Small Claims Track.

Amanda Solloway: As part of its work on IP enforcement issues the IPO has facilitated a series of working groups over the last year looking at the enforcement framework. The cost and accessibility of court processes for IP disputes was considered as part of this review, and questions on these topics were included in the call for views which closed in November this year. The IPO is currently considering the responses received from that exercise and will carry out further assessment and consult other departments as necessary before any recommendations are taken forwards.

Intellectual Property: Compensation

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions his Department has had with the Ministry of Justice on the publication of judgments from the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court Small Claims Track.

Amanda Solloway: As part of its work on IP enforcement issues the IPO has facilitated a series of working groups over the last year looking at the enforcement framework. The cost and accessibility of court processes for IP disputes was considered as part of this review, and questions on these topics were discussed with Ministry of Justice officials before being included in the call for views which closed in November this year. The IPO is currently considering the responses received from that exercise and will discuss any potential recommendations with other departments and the Judiciary as appropriate.

Retail Trade: Digital Technology

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made an assessment of the implications of Amazon's decision to pass the Digital Services Tax onto its retail customers for the level of competition in digital retail; and whether he has had discussions with Amazon on that issue.

Paul Scully: The Digital Services Tax is a proportionate tax addressing widely held concerns with the tax paid by digital businesses. The Government cannot comment on individual taxpayers, whose pricing strategies reflect a range of factors and are a matter for businesses.

Innovation

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the recommendations on regional innovation made in the Core Cities UK Universities Declaration.

Amanda Solloway: The Government announced we will publish a new ambitious Places Strategy for R&D in the R&D Roadmap. The Places Strategy will ensure that our research and development system delivers real economic and societal benefits in cities, towns, regions, and devolved nations right across the UK. We will be stepping up our efforts to foster greater collaboration and co-creation between decision-makers at national, devolved, regional and local levels. We will also be factoring the needs and opportunities of places into our decisions about the R&D system. Building on strengths and ensuring that all areas experience the benefits of a R&D intensive economy is an important part of the government’s ambition to increase R&D investment across the economy to 2.4% of GDP by 2027. BEIS and UKRI are engaging widely with industry, civic organisations and the scientific community including universities from across the country to help develop a strategy that responds to the needs of areas and communities across the UK. As part of this we will be considering the recommendations on regional innovation made in the Core Cities UK Universities Declaration. Looking at innovation more broadly, we have convened an innovation expert group, Chaired by Dr Hayaatun Sillem CBE of the Royal Academy of Engineering, to provide advice to government on the priority actions and opportunities that need to be taken to boost innovation and drive up the UK’s productivity.

Employment: Fathers

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that expectant fathers may attend all antenatal appointments.

Paul Scully: Since October 2014, expectant fathers and partners of pregnant woman have been able to take time off work to attend up to two antenatal appointments with their partner. This is a ‘day 1’ right which means that fathers and partners will be eligible for time off work even if they have recently changed jobs. We recognise that restrictions in place due to the pandemic have made it difficult for some fathers and partners to accompany expectant mothers to antenatal appointments. On 5 June, the NHS’s suspension on hospital visiting was lifted. Since then, NHS Trusts have been using guidance published by NHS England and NHS Improvement when exercising their discretion on whether or not to allow fathers/partners to accompany their partner to antenatal appointments. On 14 December, NHS England and NHS Improvement issued new guidance on supporting pregnant women using maternity services during the coronavirus pandemic. It sets out the expectation for all NHS maternity services to take steps to enable women to have access to support from a person of her choosing at all stages of her maternity journey and to prevent and control COVID-19 infection and keep women and staff safe.

Manufacturing Industries: Digital Technology

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Made Smarter scheme has been rolled-out across the country.

Nadhim Zahawi: Since January 2019, BEIS has piloted support to help manufacturing SMEs adopt industrial digital technology to increase their productivity, efficiency and resilience through the Made Smarter North West Pilot, which to date has engaged with more than 1,100 SME manufacturers and more than 150 are receiving intensive support with grant funding. This support is currently only available in the North West of England. Roll out to other parts of England remains under discussion informed by learning from the pilot exercise. We welcome the strong interest we have seen from local partners in delivering Made Smarter support for adoption of technology in their regions. BEIS has held productive conversations with local partners on their expressions of interest, including in the North East, and I look forward to the continuation of these discussions. Alongside this support, we are also investing £147m through the Manufacturing Made Smarter Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund. This is accessible to manufacturers of all sizes right across the UK and aims to drive innovation in industrial digital technology solutions. A £20m Challenge Fund competition to support increased digitalisation of supply chains was concluded in October, and Innovation Hubs to help manufacturers explore and test digital technology are being piloted across the country, including through the Centre for Process Innovation at both Darlington and Sedgefield.

Energy: Prices

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the real terms increase in household energy bills since 2010.

Kwasi Kwarteng: The Energy White Paper, which has affordability at its heart and includes measures we are bringing forward to keep bills affordable, was published earlier this month, and sets out the historic context for consumer energy bills. The average household dual fuel bill in 2019 was similar to 2010. However, the underlying costs have changed. Over the past decade, electricity prices have risen because of policy and network costs, while gas prices have fluctuated, reflecting movements in the wholesale gas price. However, consumers have used less energy, which has balanced out the cost increase.

Iron and Steel: Coronavirus

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what fiscal steps he is taking to support the recovery of steel supply chains affected by the covid-19 outbreak.

Nadhim Zahawi: We have been working with companies across the steel sector and its supply chains to ensure that they can access the unprecedented package of support measures the Government have made available during this challenging time. This includes Government-backed finance through the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme and the Bounce Back Loan Scheme to help firms keep operating. We have also provided support through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, which has been extended to March 2021 to protect people’s wages and manufacturing jobs across the UK. In addition, the Government provided, as a lender of last resort, a £30m loan on commercial terms to Celsa, in line with EU State Aid rules. We will continue to engage regularly with the steel industry and their suppliers.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Caroline Ansell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the supply of the Pfizer vaccine in the event that the transition period ends without a deal on the future relationship with the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Nadhim Zahawi: The UK has put in place a number of measures to facilitate trade with the EU beyond the end of the transition period and to avoid any adverse impact to vaccine supply beyond 1 January 2021. The Government has worked with COVID-19 vaccine suppliers to support them with robust contingency plans. If necessary, we will use alternative supply routes and Government procured freight capacity, in line with current Government advice.

Mineworkers' Pension Scheme

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to make an assessment of the merits of the UK Miners Pension Scheme provision that 50 per cent of any surplus made after 1994 will be paid to the Government.

Kwasi Kwarteng: The Government has reconsidered the surplus sharing arrangements of the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme (MPS) and concluded that they remain appropriate. We have agreed to scheme changes proposed by the MPS Trustees which guarantee that bonus pensions already accrued will not be lost in the event of a future deficit. These changes have been implemented.

Department of Health and Social Care

NHS and Social Services: Protective Clothing

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of using anti-viral face masks in the NHS and social care settings.

Jo Churchill: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) regulates ‘face masks’ that are medical devices, those intended to be used in a clinical/health care setting for the protection of the patient rather than the wearer. The MHRA has not conducted or participated in an assessment of anti-viral medical face masks for use in a health care setting.NHS England and NHS Improvement have been approached by a number of suppliers claiming to have products or technologies with anti-viral properties. The Innovation and Sustainability Team within NHS England and NHS Improvement are currently looking into these claims and their potential application across a range of items.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to add the opening of windows as a fourth element to the hands, face, space public messaging formula for minimising the spread of covid-19 among people when indoors; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Churchill: The latest ‘Hands, Space, Face’ campaign launched on 3 December 2020 and has introduced the need to ‘let fresh air in’ to the core set of protective actions we are asking the public to incorporate into their daily lives to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Sir Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department the effect of far-field aerosol transmission of covid-19 in venues that have ventilation levels of 10 litres of fresh air per person per second.

Sir Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the level of fresh air per person per second required to limit the transmission of covid-19.

Jo Churchill: The Department has undertaken no specific assessment.The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies considered the paper ‘Role of ventilation in controlling SARS-CoV-2 transmission’ at meeting 60 on 30 September.The paper is published online at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/emg-role-of-ventilation-in-controlling-sars-cov-2-transmission-30-september-2020

Food: Advertising

John Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the supporting evidence base is for each measure set out in the consultation on an online advertising ban for foods high in fat, salt or sugar.

John Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the potential average reduction in personal calorie intake that will result from the proposed online advertising ban on foods high in fat, salt or sugar; and how that estimate was calculated.

John Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what input his Department had in the policy-making process underpinning the public consultation on an online advertising ban on foods high in fat, salt or sugar which will introduce commercial and marketing restrictions on large and small businesses.

John Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential economic effect on businesses of a reduction in calories as part of the policy-making process for the public consultation on online advertising restrictions for foods high in fat, salt or sugar.

John Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Competition Markets Authority has been asked for an assessment of the potential effect on business competition of plans to restrict (a) online advertising and (b) the promotion of foods high in fat, salt or sugar.

Jo Churchill: We published an evidence note alongside the consultation on the proposal to introduce a total restriction of online advertising for products high in fat, salt and sugar. The evidence note is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/total-restriction-of-online-advertising-for-products-high-in-fat-sugar-and-salt-hfss/evidence-note The evidence note builds on the impact assessment that accompanied the 2019 consultation on further advertising restrictions on TV and online, which included estimates of the potential reduction in daily calories consumed by children. This is available at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/786554/advertising-consultation-impact-assessment.pdf In the consultations we have asked about the impact of the proposals on small businesses and are engaging with industry to understand these in more detail to factor in the final policy decision. Government departments work very closely on reducing obesity and share responsibility for delivering the measures set out in ‘Tackling obesity: empowering adults and children to live healthier lives’. The Competition Markets Authority has not been asked for an assessment of the potential effect on business competition of plans to restrict online advertising and the promotion of foods high in fat, salt or sugar.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he will take to assess the effectiveness of covid-19 vaccines in immunocompromised people post-vaccination.

Jo Churchill: Prior to the recent authorisation, the efficacy of COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine BNT162b2 was evaluated in two clinical studies. Both studies excluded immunocompromised subjects and therefore no data is available about use of the vaccine when used at the same time as immunosuppressant medicines or the immune response to the vaccine in those on such medications. The second trial allowed inclusion of subjects with autoimmune disorders who were not currently receiving immunosuppressants. There are no specific contraindications or warnings in the product information regarding use in individuals with autoimmune disease.Evaluation of data for other vaccines is ongoing but will include a robust review of all quality, safety and efficacy data, including in immunocompromised subjects if they were included in clinical trials.

Tobacco

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to increase public awareness of the risks of chewing (a) tobacco and (b) paan among the Indian community.

Jo Churchill: Chewing tobacco and paan are harmful to your health. There is national advice on NHS.uk about the dangers and where to seek advice through local stop smoking services to help people quit.Local authorities also provide campaigns, advice and support within their communities. To support clinicians and local authorities, Public Health England have published the ‘Delivering Better Oral Health’ guidance that contains a chapter on tobacco use, along with self-assessment tools to improve local tobacco control work and an oral cancer registrations indicator in the Public Health Profiles data for local commissioners to access.

Department for Education

Children: Day Care

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to tackle funding deficit between the hourly costs of delivering a funded childcare place for a two-year-old and the rate paid to providers compared to places for three and four-year-olds.

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made the financial losses sustained by childcare providers due to the covid-19 outbreak; and what plans he has to prevent mass closures in that sector.

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect of the minimum wage increase on the childcare sector; and if he will make it his policy to increase the per child funding rate for the (a) 16 and (b) 30 hours childcare entitlement.

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what specific steps he is taking to allocate funds to improve the affordability of childcare.

Vicky Ford: The government continues to support families with their childcare costs. My right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced on 25 November a further £44 million investment in 2021-22.We can now also confirm that in 2021-22 we will increase the hourly funding rates for all local authorities by 8p an hour for the 2 year old entitlement and, for the vast majority of areas, by 6p an hour for the 3 and 4 year old entitlement. This will pay for a rate increase that is higher than the costs nurseries may face from the uplift to the national living wage in April.We are also increasing the minimum funding floor - meaning no council can receive less than £4.44 per hour for the 3 and 4 year old entitlements.The small number of local authorities who have been protected from large drops to their funding rate as a result of the ‘loss cap’ will have their 2020-21 hourly funding rates for 3 and 4 year olds maintained in 2021-22. 2 of these authorities will see an increase to their hourly rate as they come off the loss cap in 2021-22.In 2021-22, the average hourly funding rate for a 3-4 year old for the 15 hours universal entitlement in England will be £4.91 and the average hourly funding rate for a 2 year old in England will be £5.56.Throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, we have monitored the health of the early years market through continual contact with early years sector organisations through regular meetings and working groups. We have ensured that early years providers have been able to access all the support available by continuing to fund the free childcare entitlements and via the package of additional support provided by the government, which includes Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS,) business rates relief, income support and job retention schemes.We have also updated the CJRS guidance, so that all providers who have seen a drop in their overall income are able to furlough any staff, so long as they were on payroll on or before 30 October, and aren’t required for delivering the government’s funded entitlements. Providers should consult the full guidance on the CJRS scheme before submitting a claim. Childminders may use the Self Employment Income Support Scheme. The sector has also benefitted from business rates holidays and business loans.

Children: Day Care

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average monthly cost was of a childcare place in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England in each year since 2010.

Vicky Ford: For a child taking up the universal 15 hours entitlement, the costs to the government are as follows:in Coventry local authority for 2020-21: £2,565 a year (or £4.50 an hour);in the West Midlands for 2020-21: average £2,582 a year (or £4.53 an hour); andin England for 2020-21: average £2,764 a year (or £4.85 an hour).Early years funding rates from the introduction of the early years national funding formula in 2017-18 can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-national-funding-formula-allocations-and-guidance.Early years funding allocations are published as part of the dedicated schools grant here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2020-to-2021.

Pre-school Education

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to help support an increase in the number of early-years childcare providers in England.

Vicky Ford: Data from Ofsted, shows that the number of providers on the early years register has remained broadly stable since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak until the end of November 2020 and that current parental demand for childcare places is being met by the market. The government recognises the importance of supporting the early years sector financially during the COVID-19 outbreak and recognises the risk to providers’ financial viability caused by changing levels of use of childcare.Early years settings will continue to benefit from a planned £3.6 billion funding in the 2020-21 financial year to create free early education and childcare places. On 25 November, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a £44 million investment in 2021-22. We can now also confirm that in 2021-22 we will increase the hourly funding rates for all local authorities by 8p an hour for the 2 year old entitlement and, for the vast majority of areas, by 6p an hour for the 3 and 4 year old entitlement. This will pay for a rate increase that is higher than the costs nurseries may face from the uplift to the national living wage in April. Funding beyond 2021-22 will be considered in the round at future spending reviews.In addition to this, the government has provided a package of support for individuals and businesses which are directly benefitting providers of childcare. This includes business rates relief and grants, the extended Self-Employment Income Support Scheme and the extended Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, which will remain open until April 2021, with employees receiving 80% of their current salary for hours not worked, up to a maximum of £2,500.We continue to work with local authorities and the early years sector to monitor the childcare market, including sufficiency of provision, and to understand how they can best be supported.

School Meals

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance his Department issues on nutrition in packed lunches.

Vicky Ford: We encourage schools to have a whole school approach to healthy eating. Schools may use the School Food Standards as a guide, when writing their packed lunch policies. For example, confectionery is banned throughout the school day and foods high in salt, sugar and fat are restricted.We want to make it easier for parents to feel confident that they are preparing healthy balanced, lunches for their children. Further information such as recipes, tips and swap suggestions that are practical and affordable for parents are available on the Change4Life website at: https://www.nhs.uk/change4life-beta/healthier-lunchboxes.

Ministry of Justice

Divorce: Legal Opinion

Sir Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to promote access to early legal advice for divorcing couples.

Sir Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of reductions in legal aid on access to professional or legal support for divorcing couples.

Sir Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of improved early access to professional advice for divorcing couples on conflict and the mental health of those involved.

Sir Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential benefits to the (a) public purse and (b) court system of ensuring legal aid is accessible in family law cases.

Sir Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of improving early legal advice for divorcing couples to help reduce pressure on family courts.

Alex Chalk: We spent £1.7bn in 2019 on Legal Aid to ensure vulnerable people have access to proportionate legal advice and support and that we minimise the burden on courts and tribunals. Legal aid is available for private family matters where an applicant is a victim of, or at risk of being a victim of domestic abuse or child abuse, subject to the means and merits criteria. The Exceptional Case Funding scheme provides legal aid in cases which fall out of scope. It provides legal aid where without it there would be a breach, or risk of a breach of, human rights, subject to the statutory means and merits test. But legal aid is only one part of a broader picture. As set out in our Legal Support Action plan, there are other forms of support that can help people overcome their problems, such as legal information, guidance and signposting so that everyone can access justice in a way that best meets their needs. In April we also launched the new, two-year, £3.1m Legal Support for Litigants in Person Grant, which is designed to fund services provided at local, regional and national levels with the aim of understanding more about how they can combine to help people. This new grant funding is in addition to the more than £9m that the MoJ has invested in support for litigants in person since 2015 through our existing Litigants in Person Support Strategy. Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service has established 17 Nightingale courts across England and Wales, providing 32 additional court rooms, and are recruiting more staff. Judicial sitting days in the family court have been increased and approximately £3.5m additional funding has helped Cafcass increase staffing levels to respond to record levels of open cases.

Family Proceedings

Taiwo Owatemi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress his Department has made on implementing the recommendations from its report of June 2020, Assessing Risk of Harm to Children and Parents in Private Law Children Cases.

Alex Chalk: The report identified a number of long-standing, systemic issues that require fundamental reform. The Family Justice Reform Implementation Group (FJRIG) is overseeing delivery of the reform agenda.We are making good progress against several of the commitments outlined in our Implementation Plan published alongside the report. We have launched the review into the ‘presumption of parental involvement’ in private law children cases, and we are developing the ‘Independent Domestic Abuse Courts’ (IDAC) pilot. We are also implementing changes within the Domestic Abuse Bill, including the prohibition of cross examination of victims by perpetrators or alleged perpetrators and automatic eligibility for special measures in the Family Court.A more detailed delivery updated will be published in the new year.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Bangladesh: Rohingya

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to his Bangladeshi counterpart on the relocation of Rohingya refugees to the island of Bhasan Char.

Nigel Adams: The UK Government is monitoring the situation and is in regular dialogue with the Government of Bangladesh, the UN and our INGO partners. We support the UN position that independent, full and detailed technical and protection assessments are needed to evaluate the safety and sustainability of living on Bhasan Char, and that any relocation should be voluntary and based on relevant, accurate and updated information.The Minister for South Asia underlined the importance of these points in a call with Bangladesh's Foreign Minister Momen on 19 November, and has discussed the issue several times with the Bangladesh High Commissioner in London. The British High Commissioner in Dhaka regularly engages with the Government of Bangladesh on Bhasan Char and has underlined the importance of allowing the UN to conduct these full technical and protection assessments. The Development Director also talks regularly to the UN Heads of Agencies and Resident Coordinator who are in constant touch with the Government.

Bangladesh: Rohingya

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Government of Bangladesh works with (a) the UN and (b) international NGOs to assess the safety of the island Bhasan Char for Rohingya refugees.

Nigel Adams: The UK Government is monitoring the situation and is in regular dialogue with the Government of Bangladesh, the UN and our INGO partners. We support the UN position that independent, full and detailed technical and protection assessments are needed to evaluate the safety and sustainability of living on Bhasan Char, and that any relocation should be voluntary and based on relevant, accurate and updated information.The Minister for South Asia underlined the importance of these points in a call with Bangladesh's Foreign Minister Momen on 19 November, and has discussed the issue several times with the Bangladesh High Commissioner in London. The British High Commissioner in Dhaka regularly engages with the Government of Bangladesh on Bhasan Char and has underlined the importance of allowing the UN to conduct these full technical and protection assessments. The Development Director also talks regularly to the UN Heads of Agencies and Resident Coordinator who are in constant touch with the Government.

Protest

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help ensure that his Department promotes the right to peaceful protest to the international community.

Nigel Adams: Respect for human rights and democratic freedoms underpins the UK's foreign policy. The UK supports freedom of expression, including the right to peaceful protest. UK Ministers and officials have regular and frank discussions about the full range of human rights concerns, wherever they occur, and we use our bilateral relationships, our development programmes, and our presence in multilateral institutions to drive progress.In discussions with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ministers and officials raise the most pressing human rights issues of the day. We also set out concerns on a wide range of countries at every session of the Human Rights Council. The UK co-sponsored a resolution on Peaceful Protests at the 44th session of the UN Human Rights Council. When the Minister of State for Human Rights, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, raised Hong Kong in the UK's national statement at the UN Human Rights Council on 25 September, he stated that the Joint Declaration, a legally binding treaty, set out that Hong Kong was guaranteed a high degree of autonomy and rights and freedoms, including that, of assembly, and of association.

Academic Freedom

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to support UK academics’ freedom and security overseas.

Nigel Adams: The UK is committed to supporting and promoting academic freedom. In October Universities UK published guidelines which provide advice to senior leaders at UK higher education providers on how best to protect their people, assets and reputation, including when travelling overseas.The UK fully supports freedom of expression as both a human right in and of itself and as an essential element for the enjoyment of the full range of other human rights. Freedom of expression is required to allow innovation to thrive and ideas to develop; it leads to more secure and prosperous societies. In July 2019, the UK co-sponsored a joint statement alongside Canada and the Netherlands at the UN Human Rights Council, reiterating our commitment to defending the right to freedom of opinion and expression. In his statement to the Human Rights Council on 9 April, our Ambassador to the UN in Geneva stressed the importance of ensuring the actions of governments and international agencies are scrutinised, within the context of the international human rights framework.Should a British national require consular assistance overseas we make every effort to contact vulnerable customers within 24 hours of being notified of their situation.

Department for Work and Pensions

Kickstart Scheme: Ethnic Groups

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 16 November 2020 to Question 114936 on Kickstart Scheme: Ethnic Groups, what steps her department i taking to help ensure collection of data on the proportion of jobs created as part of the Kickstart scheme allocated to Black, Asian and minority ethnic young people; and what her timescale is for making information available on (a) ethnicity, (b) disability and (c) other disadvantaged groups amongst Kickstart participants.

Mims Davies: The Department for Work and Pensions’ Kickstart Scheme is providing job placements for 16-24 year olds at risk of long term unemployment. Young people will be directed to the scheme through a Job Centre by a Work Coach. This will ensure that those who need support the most are able to benefit, regardless of ethnicity, disability or any disadvantage. Some personal information, including ethnicity of participants, is voluntarily provided when a young person applies for a placement. This means that any information might not be a fully accurate representation of demographics. Our data gathering is still in its early stages but we have plans for a wider evaluation of Kickstart that will draw on available data and insights (such as case studies from young people, participant surveys and feedback from Work Coaches) where possible showing outcomes and effects for different groups, including by gender, ethnicity and those facing additional barriers to employment. We will feed this insight into the programme as we continue to roll it out. No information is currently available but we will consider how this might be published in due course.

Food Banks: Infant Foods

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that all parents have access to infant formula at food banks.

Will Quince: Foodbanks are independent, charitable organisations and the Department for Work and Pensions does not have any role in their operation. Decisions about which donations to accept and make available to food bank users are therefore a matter for food bank providers.Healthy Start vouchers support pregnant women or those with children under four who are on a low income with the cost of milk (including infant formula), fruit and vegetables helping to boost children’s long-term health. The weekly value of these vouchers will increase from £3.10 to £4.25 from next April.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Flood Control

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of flood defences in (a) the West Midlands and (b) England.

Rebecca Pow: The Environment Agency (EA) visually inspect all flood risk assets using trained and accredited inspectors. The frequency of visual inspection is risk based, taking account of factors such as the status, nature and significance of the flood defence. They also carry out additional inspections following flooding. Based on the inspection, they assign a condition grade to each asset: a) In the West Midlands: As of 11 December 2020, 94.12% of all flood risk assets on Main River are at their required condition.b) In England: as of 1 December 2020, 94% of flood risk assets on Main Rivers and the coast are at their required condition.If an asset is below its required condition it is identified as requiring work. This does not necessarily mean the asset has structurally failed, or that its performance in a flood will be compromised. If the performance of an EA flood risk asset is reduced, action will be taken to ensure that flood risk continues to be effectively managed until the asset is fully repaired or replaced and has met the required condition.

Food: Northern Ireland

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the grace periods for food safety checks on goods entering Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK for supermarkets also apply to independent retailers, wholesalers and suppliers.

Victoria Prentis: Authorised traders, such as supermarkets and their trusted suppliers, will benefit from a grace period, through to 1 April 2021, from official certification for products of animal origin, composite products, and food. The UK Government and Northern Ireland Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs will engage in a rapid exercise to ensure these traders are identified prior to 31 December so they can benefit from the grace period. We will not discriminate against small suppliers or between different companies in implementing these practical measures.

Rivers: Sewage

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to reduce the proportion of untreated sewage that flows into rivers and streams.

Rebecca Pow: Water companies are committed in the 5-year business planning period (2020-2025) to a significant programme of improvements to the monitoring and management of storm overflows at a cost of around £1.1 billion. However, I recognise that there is more to do. I met water company CEOs in September and made clear that the volumes of sewage discharged into rivers and other waterways in extreme weather must be reduced. To achieve this, I have set up a new Taskforce bringing together Government, the water industry, regulators and environmental NGOs. This Taskforce will set out clear proposals to address the volumes of sewage discharged into our rivers. The Taskforce is also exploring further short-term actions water companies can take to accelerate progress on storm overflows.

Food: Northern Ireland

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of the unresolved UK-EU trade negotiations on the quantity and variety of food to be supplied to Northern Ireland from Great Britain in the first three months of 2021.

Victoria Prentis: We have always acknowledged that there would need to be some additional controls on agri-food movements from Great Britain to Northern Ireland to reflect the island of Ireland’s existing status as a Single Epidemiological Unit. But we have also been clear that these new processes could never be allowed to put food supplies to Northern Ireland at risk. That is why the deal we have reached with the EU and the support that we have put in place do what is necessary to protect and preserve GB-NI agri-food trade from 1 January 2021.

Inland Waterways: Pollution Control

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support local community organisations that aim to clean inland waters.

Rebecca Pow: Defra and its partner organisations support and encourage action by local communities in improving the water environment. The Catchment Based Approach (CaBA) is a framework for co-ordinating partnership action between the public, private and third sectors with a specific focus on water. Since its launch in 2012, CaBA has grown from 25 pilots to include over 100 Catchment Partnerships consisting of 2,500 organisations covering England and cross border areas with Wales. They engage and empower local communities and help them to bring their local knowledge, resource and expertise to reduce flood risk, improve sustainable management of water resources and resilience to climate change. Defra and the Environment Agency supports this local action by funding via CaBA Catchment Hosts, a central National Support Group and, in addition, £27 million of Government investment over three years has supported local projects through the Water Environment Grant scheme.

Marine Environment: Explosions

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of explosions on the sea floor on the (a) health and (b) quality of marine life in British waters.

Rebecca Pow: The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) is responsible for licensing marine activities in the seas around England, including the removal of Unexploded Ordnance from the seabed. In determining any application for a marine licence, the MMO considers all relevant matters including the need to protect the marine environment. This involves assessing any potential impacts on marine life under an environmental assessment. Such assessments are made on the specifics of each case and involve consultation with the MMO’s primary advisors, including Natural England.

Pet Travel Scheme: Northern Ireland

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether cats, dogs or ferrets being moved for non-commercial purposes from Northern Ireland to Great Britain will require a blood test and the results of that test before being moved, after the end of the transition period.

Victoria Prentis: There will be no changes to the current pet travel health requirements for entry into Great Britain after the end of the transition period. There will be no requirement for pets to get a blood test for entry into Great Britain if they are travelling from Northern Ireland. This requirement only applies for movements from ‘Unlisted’ third countries.

Inland Waterways: Leisure

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of inland waters in (a) Huddersfield, (b) Kirklees and (c) England are safe for (a) wild swimming and (b) other human leisure activities.

Rebecca Pow: The physical safety of swimmers and other water users at inland waters is a matter for the local management of the site. The Bathing Water Regulations 2013 are designed to protect water quality and public health insofar as it relates to pollution and have no provision for physical safety. The numbers of inland designated bathing waters in the areas requested are:Huddersfield: 0Kirklees: 0England: 12 Areas used for other water-based leisure activities are not designated as bathing waters because bathing water monitoring focuses on a single sampling point so is not directly relevant to water-sport participants, who cover a greater distance in the water than bathers.

Food Supply

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 9 November 2020 to Question 110165, what recent discussions he has had with (a) Cabinet colleagues, (b) representatives from the food supply sector and (c) the devolved Administrations on when the plan for food supply after the transition period will be published.

Victoria Prentis: Our thorough preparations for leaving the EU in 2019, alongside the lessons we have learned during the Covid-19 response provide a robust foundation for end of transition period planning on food supply. The Government contingency planning documents such as the plan for food supply are regularly reviewed and updated to reflect engagement with industry and across government including the Devolved Administrations. Given their sensitive nature these plans are not published as they provide the basis of discussions between Ministers and officials on the development of security and resilience policy.

Inshore Fishing: Sussex

Caroline Ansell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress he has made on his approval of the Sussex IFCA by-laws; what his timeframe is for that approval; and if he will make a statement.

Victoria Prentis: The Sussex Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (IFCA) Nearshore Trawling Byelaw and the Netting Byelaw have both been submitted to Defra requesting final approval. Defra is currently reviewing the full byelaw package for both byelaws, including reviewing evidence in the impact assessment and results of the byelaw consultation, in accordance with our statutory guidance. No decision has yet been taken by the Department on whether to confirm either Byelaw. An update will be provided when the final Defra consideration process is concluded.

Livestock: Balloons and Sky Lanterns

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of a follow-up independent study of the research undertaken in 2013 on the effect of sky lanterns and helium balloons on the health and welfare of livestock.

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress the Government has made on (a) implementing non-regulatory measures to minimise the risks associated with and (b) increasing the safety standards of sky lanterns and helium balloons.

Victoria Prentis: Defra’s study of 2013 Sky lanterns and helium balloons: an assessment of impacts on livestock and the environment suggested that, while anecdotal reports and media coverage could imply that there is widespread concern from farming groups and others over the impacts of sky lanterns and balloons on the health and welfare of livestock, the evidence presented indicated that the number of cases reported each year of animals affected through ingestion of sky lantern and balloon debris is very small in the context of the wider livestock population. While it is recognised that there may be a significant level of under-reporting, on the basis of the evidence presented, we have concluded that the overall impact is very limited. No further assessment has been done on this.General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (SI 1803) make it an offence to place a product on the market that is not safe. In addition, the Chartered Trading Standards Institute has published a Code of Practice for sky lanterns, which aims to provide guidance for manufacturers, importers, and retailers.

Agricultural Products: Import Duties

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on UK meat and dairy exporters of the implementation of tariffs on agri-food goods in the event of the UK reaching the end of the transition period without a deal on the future relationship with the EU.

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the economic effect of tariffs on agri-food goods in the event of no deal on UK-EU trade relations on the British (a) pork industry, (b) beef, (c) poultry, (d) dairy and (e) egg industry.

Victoria Prentis: The UK Government has always been clear that we seek a free trade agreement with the EU. At the end of 2020 the UK will transition to Most Favoured Nation (MFN) terms with all those nations that it does not have a free trade agreement with. The UK’s new MFN schedule, the UK Global Tariff has been designed to protect UK sensitive tariff lines and certain domestic industries, with tariffs retained for products such as pork, lamb, beef and poultry. In a non-negotiated outcome implementing the UK’s tariff schedule will most likely mean that agricultural prices for our domestic producers will increase for many livestock sectors (such as beef, pork and poultry meat). In making any decision on tariffs the Government must regard the five principles set out in the Taxation (Cross-border Trade) Act 2018 which includes the interests of producers and the desire to maintain and promote trade and productivity. The Government will publish more detail of the economic analysis in the Tax Information and Impact Note in due course, as is standard practice to support tax policy decisions.

Food: Standards

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that food standards are maintained after the transition period.

Victoria Prentis: The Government has a clear manifesto commitment that in all of our trade negotiations we will not compromise on our high environmental protection, animal welfare and food standards. The European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 will transfer all existing provisions onto the UK statute book. This includes EU Council Directive 96/22/EC which bans the import and production of meat using growth promoting hormone or beta agonist treatments, existing food safety provisions ensuring no products, other than potable water are approved to decontaminate poultry carcasses, all EU maximum residue levels (MRLs) for plant protection products (as they are at the point of exit) and the standards for how they are set, as well as all EU import standards relating to food safety and animal welfare. At the end of the transition period, we will also repatriate the functions of audit and inspection currently carried out by the European Commission to ensure that trading partners continue to meet our import conditions. We will also be verifying that requirements are carried out as stipulated through checks at the border. This will provide a robust system to maintain our high standards. The independent advice of our food regulators, the Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland, and rigorous processes will continue to ensure that all food imports into the UK are safe and meet the relevant UK product rules and regulations. The Agriculture Act 2020 contains a duty for Ministers to report to Parliament on whether, or to what extent, commitments in new Free Trade Agreements, relating to agricultural goods, are consistent with maintaining UK levels of statutory protection in relation to environmental protection, animal welfare and food standards. In July the Government established the Trade and Agriculture Commission, an independent advisory board set up to advise and inform the Government’s trade policies on environmental and animal welfare standards in food production. The Government has now extended the Trade and Agriculture Commission, and committed to place it on a full statutory footing via the Trade Bill, with a provision to review it every three years.

Cabinet Office

Coronavirus: Death

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the average age of covid-19 deaths compared to average UK life expectancy.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond. Letter from the UKSA (pdf, 69.9KB)

Health

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will introduce a quarterly report on gross domestic wellbeing as proposed by the CarnegieUK Trust in its 2020 report entitled Gross Domestic Wellbeing (GDWe): an alternative measure of social progress.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.Letter from the UKSA (pdf, 143.6KB)

Trade: Northern Ireland

Simon Hoare: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to paragraph 33 of The Northern Ireland Protocol, CP346, published on 10 December 2020, which categories of trader (a) can and (b) cannot benefit from a grace period to 1 April 2021 from official certification for products of (i) animal origin, (ii) composite products, (iii) food and feed of non-animal origin and (iv) plants and plant products.

Penny Mordaunt: As the Command Paper underlines, the UK Government and the Northern Ireland Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs will engage in a rapid exercise to identify the authorised traders able to draw on the grace period from official certification for products of animal origin, composite products, food and feed of non-animal origin and plants and plant products. The Government will not discriminate against smaller suppliers or between different companies in implementing these practical measures. This list will be in place by the end of the year.

Cybercrime

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to help protect the UK from emerging cyber security threats.

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what (a) funding he is making available and (b) other steps he is taking to help support the protection of businesses from future cyber threats.

Chloe Smith: The National Cyber Security Strategy (2016 to 2021) sets out the government’s plan to make Britain secure and resilient in cyberspace. We also published a progress report: “National Cyber Security Strategy 2016-2021 - Progress Report”, this includes details of the steps being taken to help protect business from cyber threats.The Cabinet Office is leading work across Government to develop the UK’s strategic direction and funding for cyber security beyond 2021 and will set out the approach next year, building on the Government’s Integrated Review. This will respond to the evolving cyber threat and ensure the UK remains a leader on cyber security into the next decade.

Department for International Trade

Fossil Fuels: Export Credit Guarantees

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 18 November 2020 to Question 91998 on Fossil Fuels: Export Credit Guarantees, what status the listed projects have following the Prime Minister’s announcement of 12 December 2020 on ending direct financing for fossil fuel projects overseas.

Graham Stuart: The new policy on ending government’s support to fossil fuels overseas announced by the Prime Minister at the Climate Ambition Summit will be implemented as soon as possible following the conclusion of the consultation process that was launched on 12 December.During the consultation period and ahead of the implementation of the new policy, the government will continue to apply current policy for all in-scope activities including proposals for high carbon projects, with consideration of relevant factors including climate change.The projects referred to in my response to the Hon. Member for Birmingham, Edgbaston on 18 November 2020 (UIN: 91998) are still under consideration by UK Export Finance, and no decisions have been made. It is our policy not to comment on potential transactions for reasons of commercial sensitivity.

Fossil Fuels: Export Credit Guarantees

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many fossil fuel projects UK Export Finance (a) is currently considering for support or (b) has been asked to consider for support in the future; and for each project (i) where it is located and (ii) what fossil fuel it relates to.

Graham Stuart: On 12 December 2020, the Prime Minister announced that the British government will no longer provide any new direct financial or promotional support for the fossil fuel energy sector overseas. This policy will be implemented as soon as possible following the conclusion of the consultation process that was also launched on 12 December. During the consultation period and ahead of the implementation of the new policy, the government will continue to apply current policy for all in-scope activities including proposals for high carbon projects, with consideration of relevant factors including climate change. I refer the Hon. Member for Edmonton to my responses to the Hon. Member for Birmingham, Edgbaston on 18 November 2020 (UIN: 91998) and 25 November 2020 (UIN: 118072), which listed the fossil fuel related projects that UK Export Finance is currently considering for 2021, their locations, and the type of fossil fuel involved.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Showmen's Guild of Great Britain: Scotland

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of allocating financial support to members of the Scottish Section of the Showmen’s Guild of Great Britain who are based in northern England and therefore ineligible for Scottish Government grants for showpeople.

Nigel Huddleston: DCMS officials continue to meet with representatives of the Showmen’s Guild of Great Britain to assess how we can most effectively support the fairground industry through this period. Any further support will need to be considered in the wider context of existing support for the tourism industry, and the effectiveness of measures already in place. The Government has introduced a number of support measures to support businesses and individuals through COVID-19, which travelling showpeople can access. These include various government-backed loans, as well as the extended furlough and self-employed support schemes. We also introduced a substantial, UK-wide cut in VAT for many tourism and hospitality activities, including admission to circuses and fairs, until the end of March. Further to this, the Additional Restrictions Grant discretionary fund will allow Local Authorities to help businesses more broadly during this period. It supports businesses that are not covered by other grant schemes, such as the Local Restrictions Support Grant, or where additional funding is needed. As tourism is devolved, the Devolved Administrations are responsible for any targeted financial initiatives to support the sector in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Since 2 December, we have returned to a tiered approach to COVID-19 restrictions in England. Funfairs and fairgrounds - which are permitted to reopen in all three tiers as they were prior to this period of national restrictions - will need to go through the normal process of requesting permission and any relevant licences from the relevant authority and have the relevant health and safety protocols in place, including a Covid-19 risk assessment.

Culture Recovery Fund

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what progress his Department has made on delivering support for the culture and heritage sector through the Culture Recovery Fund.

Caroline Dinenage: We have now reached a critical milestone - £1 billion worth of funding from the Culture Recovery Fund has been allocated across all four nations of the UK. That includes:Direct support to national institutions and the Devolved Administrations, who have received £188 million through the Barnett formula;Over £500million in recovery grants to over 3000 arts and heritage organisations in England;Over £100million in capital grants to arts and heritage organisations;And over £160million in generous repayable finance to some of our most iconic national institutionsThe £1 billion already committed has supported over 3000 organisations to weather this storm, supporting more than 75,000 jobs, with many more freelancers and jobs in vital supply chain industries also benefitting.An additional £400m of grants and loan funding was announced on 11 December, which will support significant cultural organisations who now face financial distress as a result of closure, as well as helping them transition back to fuller opening in the spring.

Broadband: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many broadband cabinets in Wales are not enabled for fibre or their locations.

Matt Warman: Around 95% of properties in Wales can receive a superfast broadband service. The UK and Welsh Governments have invested over £200 million of public funding to roll out fast, reliable broadband to around 733,000 properties under the Superfast Cymru programme. This included funding from UK Government, Welsh Government, and the EU. There are now around 79,000 properties in Wales which cannot currently access superfast broadband speeds and are not in any commercial or public sector plans to receive it. Although not a devolved matter, this specific data is captured by WelshGovernment and can be found at https://gov.wales/next-generation-access-broadband-2019.For queries about coverage, please refer to Ofcom Connected Nations data. Constituency data is available from the HoC library, that does some constituency level aggregations: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/constituency-data-broadband-coverage-and-speeds/We would also draw your attention to this web site. Whilst the “official data” is the Ofcom Connected Nations report, the ThinkBroadband data tends to be slightly more up to date and is easier to search. https://labs.thinkbroadband.com/local/wales

Broadband: Dwyfor Meirionnydd

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many broadband cabinets in the constituency of Dwyfor Meirionnydd are not enabled for fibre or their locations.

Matt Warman: The release of information regarding cabinets is a matter for Openreach due to commercial sensitivity. However, Open Market Review data suggests that in Dwyfor Meirionnydd there are 38,285 properties which can either access superfast broadband speeds or are in plans to receive it within the next two years. These may be commercial or public sector plans. There are 4,439 properties which both cannot receive superfast broadband speeds and are not in any plans to receive it. Although not a devolved matter, this specific data is captured by Welsh Government and can be found at https://gov.wales/next-generation-access-broadband-2019.For queries about coverage, please refer to Ofcom Connected Nations data. Ofcom published the Connected Nations 2020 data on 17 December, which includes a table of data aggregated to parliamentary constituency level - Dwyfor Meirionnydd: 82.9% of premises have at least Superfast, of which 16.4% have full fibre. Constituency data is available from the HoC library, that does some constituency level aggregations: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/constituency-data-broadband-coverage-and-speeds/We would also draw your attention to this web site. Whilst the “official data” is the Ofcom Connected Nations report, the ThinkBroadband data tends to be slightly more up to date and is easier to search at National or Constituency level.https://labs.thinkbroadband.com/local/W07000061It also has a useful map facility so you can see geographical information about speeds and not-spots in your area. We have centered this map over your constituency and turned on the layers for BT Openreach connectivity https://labs.thinkbroadband.com/local/broadband-map#10/52.8152/-3.9970/openreach/adsl/geafttp/virgin/gfast/

National Lottery

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, for what reason the National Lottery age limit increase to 18 will not take effect until April 2021 for online play and October 2021 for all other lottery products.

Nigel Huddleston: The legislative change for the increase in the National Lottery age limit will come into force on 1st October 2021. However, this date is the final backstop at which changes can be introduced and I expect the operator to make changes sooner where possible. In this regard, I am pleased that the operator is planning to introduce changes for online channels by early April 2021, and in the retail sector over the course of the summer.The National Lottery is a hugely complex operation. This change will affect over 44,000 retailers across the UK and as a result it is important that we strike a balance between making this change quickly and giving businesses the time they need to ensure a smooth transition.

Events Industry: Coronavirus

Stuart Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to support businesses in the events and conference sector which have been affected by the covid-19 outbreak.

Nigel Huddleston: The Government remains committed to working towards achieving football stadiums’ maximum socially distanced capacity as soon as it is safe to do so.From Wednesday 2 December, it has been possible for fans to be readmitted to sports grounds where local COVID alert levels allow. The Government continues to be in close contact with the Sports Technology Innovation Group, formed of sporting bodies and health experts, and the Sports Grounds Safety Authority to assess the latest thinking and high-tech solutions that could enable further spectators to return.We will continue to work with both bodies, alongside the football authorities, to determine the next steps in viably increasing spectator capacities without compromising public safety.

Gambling: Licensing

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate the Gambling Commission has made of the number of Commission-licensed operators that operate in the UK and are blacklisted as an operator in an overseas jurisdiction.

Nigel Huddleston: Operators providing gambling facilities to customers in Great Britain must be licensed by the Commission and comply with the conditions of their operating licences. Operators are expected to obey the laws of all other jurisdictions in which they operate, and must report any regulatory or criminal investigation into their activities in any jurisdiction to the Commission. These requirements, along with the international cooperation the Commission enjoys with other gambling regulators, enable the Commission to make the necessary ongoing assessments of an operator’s suitability to hold a GB licence.Further information on what the Gambling Commission expects from its licensed operators regarding their operations in other jurisdictions can be found in the Gambling Commission’s Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice.